MOONLAKE

For some reason, some of Schulze's official albums bare little witness of the new-found confidence that can be heard on many of his unreleased works from around the new millennium. Moonlake is a difficult album that has a bit of a problem to get going.

The first 15 minutes of Playmate In Paradise are passable but ultimately forgettable, a dull rhythm, poor repeated sequences and little or no sonic texture. Nevertheless, it has a very warm and lush sound and with just that little extra spark of inspiration it could have been set ablaze. But that doesn't happen. Also the improvised vocals don't make a significant difference and somehow merge unnoticed into the sonic soup. Halfway in, Schulze revisits his more ambient leanings. It upgrades the track from electronic muzak to something more noticeable, but still passes by without grabbing attention. The last 10 minutes are better. It's hard to say why, the sequence isn't much more layered then that of the first part but somehow this one grooves.

Artemis In Jubileo starts more promisingly. Beginning as a soft ambient techno track but gradually developing into more ceremonial directions with classical strings. At 17 minutes it largely overstays its welcome though.

It isn't till Same Thoughts Lion that I get the feeling this album might still turn out for the good. At 10 minutes, this sequence feels soothing, comfortable, pleasant and not too long. The closing 15 minutes of Mephisto are good as well. It starts with a high-pitched sequence that brings Tangerine Dream's White Eagle to mind, after 5 minutes a smooth funky rhythmic is added, nothing exceptional but adequate. The second half of the track is dominated by one of Schulze's moog solos and develops into a gorgeous climax.

In general the album misses that secret Schulze ingredient that makes most of his albums so exciting. On the other hand, there are fine moments spread throughout the first 50 minutes and the closing 25 minutes are really good. 2.5 stars

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